Color Blocked Craft Table and Accessories

  I have entered this Color Block Craft Table and Accessories project in the Fave Crafts Craft Contest 2016- If you like it please pop on over to their site and VOTE for it! I could win $1000 bucks! Thanks in advance for your support :)

Having a workspace that inspires creativity and keeps all your craft supplies organized can really make your crafting and art making time efficient and fun. 

I made this large worktable out of a piece of plywood and Plexiglass with squares of Fairfield Oly Fun Craft Material in between for a modern color block look. The layers are all held together with office supply binder clips. 



The center support of the worktable is a stack of recycled books! The coordinating desk accessories were embellished with all different types of paint and foil. 


The stemware glass balls were painted with Testors paint. 
The glasses were painted with  Design Master Tint It Transparent Dye Spray Paints. 
The jewelry box was given a new look with Plaid Ceramcoat Chalk paint. 
The little square plates were embellished with  Silver Therm-o-web Deco foil scissors. 
The little plastic animals were colored silver with the Testors Enamel paint marker. 

And since I plan on spending a lot of time at my new craft table coloring in books like Leisure Arts' Art of Coloring Mandalas I sewed a new cushion for the vintage stool and embellished it with a Simplicity applique.

 

I had a scrap of Plexiglass left over from my film industry days and it was a bit smaller than an 4x8 sheet of plywood so I had to trim the plywood down. If you are making this with new materials your plexi and plywood will likely be the same size so you can skip this step.

I used Fairfield Oly Fun Craft Material to cover the plywood. This material comes in pre-cut squares in a great variety of colors as you can see so it was easy to lay them out and arrange them in a pretty pattern.

Then I laid the plexiglass over the squares and secured it with office supply binder clips.

One of the fun things about this color block craft table is that since it isn't permanently secured you can swap out the color blocks anytime!

 

To give a new look to these vintage glasses I used a variety of Design Master Tint It Transparent Dye Spray Paints.

I masked off the bases so they would stay clear. While painting them I placed them on top of some cardboard containers. This made it easy to rotate the glasses for nice even coverage

To embellish the little plates I die cut a piece of Therm-o-web Easy-cut adhesive and applied Silver Therm-o-web Deco foil.

I am eager to try this technique on all sorts of recycled surfaces.

The next color blocked item on my craft desk was this piece of stemware that features little ball shapes. I painted each one with a color of Testors paint.

A project I see on Pinterest a lot is upcycling little toy animals by painting them with metallic paint. The Testors Enamel paint marker worked great for this!

In keeping with my color blocking theme I thought it would be fun to upcycle this jewelry box by painting each drawer a different color within the same color family.

I used a variety of blues, greens and grays of the Plaid Ceramcoat Chalk paint. I used a bit of painter's tape to hold the drawer pulls out of the way while painting. I also took the glass out and scraped the floral image off with a razor blade.

I love my vintage step stool but I thought it could use a bit more padding. The easiest way is to make a tie on cushion. I had a slipcover pillow that I could easily make a new coordinating slipcover for.

All I did was fold a piece of fabric over itself right sides facing with about a 4 inch overlap. Before stitching the sides I pined ribbons in each corner facing in.

 When turned right sides out I placed ta Simplicity applique on the new pillow cover. 
I am so excited about creating all sorts of things in my new creative space.

Crochet mini doily from the book Use Up That Yarn! by The Crochet Dude

I love little quick and easy ....oh and cute projects and that is just what these crocheted coasters featured on the cover and in Use Up That Yarn! are.

I whipped one up, well not even the whole thing, just the inside part out of some black and white variegated yarn and look what I had...a tiny doily for one of my tiny pumpkins.

Got a lot of leftover yarn from projects than Use Up That Yarn! is the book for you!

More about the book from the publisher Leisure Arts:

Use Up That Yarn!

by

Drew Emborsky

"Crochet is so relaxing! But if mountains of partial skeins and "someday" yarns are causing calamity in your closets, it can be difficult to decide what to make next. With Drew Emborsky's quick and easy stash busters, you can clean up the clutter! The Crochet Dude(R) presents 13 practical projects that are fantastically fast at shrinking a stash. Set the table with crocheted coasters, a table runner, or decorative bowls. Use up that yarn to crochet a coffee cup sleeve or tea cozy. For outdoor wear, get toasty in a hat-and-scarf set. These speedy designs will get your yarn collection under control, restoring serenity to your crochet time--and your closets!"

Crochet Spider Web Skirt Inspired by some designs by The Crochet Dude's New Book- Crochet It. Love It. Wear It!

The Crochet Dude has got style! His new book Crochet It. Love It. Wear It! is packed full of wonderful designs that I want to wear! And also has the fabulous side effect of getting my personal creative juices flowing. That is what you see above. In the picture you will see the back of Crochet It. Love It. Wear It! and it shows you the two pieces that combined in my brain to give me the idea of crocheting a spider web skirt. The super cute pink dress is styled over a petticoat and the green long skirt had a wonderful open drape that made me think of a spider web. You can see my start on the skirt over the petticoat I plan to wear it over. I promise to post the way I did it soon!

But as a special treat today the Crochet Dude took a moment to answer a few questions and I get the pleasure of sharing his answers with you! Read on.....

1. What does your workspace/ design space look like?

"I love my studio more than I can say in words. When I was looking for a home to buy in Houston one of the criteria was to finally have a proper workspace where I could run my design studio. The house I found has a converted 1 car garage that overlooks the back yard that I have turned into my perfect workplace. My desk is set up so I can look out into the backyard and it feels like I'm out in the country even though I'm only a few miles from downtown Houston!"

2. Do you save your mistakes/ or designs you don't love right away -or ditch them?

"Most of the oopsies are discovered in the swatching phase of designing, and I have kept them all through the years. I go back to the swatch box and rummage through it when i am in need of some tactile inspiration. And Miss Chandler (one of my cats) likes to dive in every once in a while and haul out a swatch to claim. Her fave so far is a fluorescent green swatch made from mason twine."


3. What's on your "next to try" list?

"I really want to try melding crochet with other crafts and get all experimental with it. I have come up with some exciting stuff recently and I can't wait to release it in 2011."


5. Do you ever work with recycled materials?

"Some yarns that are on the market right now are made from recycled material. I think my fave right now is the Lion Brand Recycled Cotton which is made from t-shirt findings. The projects I've made with it feel great, just like your favorite t-shirt!!"


6. What music do you listen to when designing?
"If I'm on deadline I need music that will motivate me to keep going. The soundtrack to Run Lola Run really does the trick. When I'm not under too much pressure I listen to mainly pop music. Something with a beat that you could dance to."


7. How long does a design take you to create?
"A man's sweater can take me up to 3 days, a ladies sweater about 2 days. Accessories such as bags get a bit trickier and I often find myself spending a week on one project."


8. How do you organize your supplies?
"They're not organized. My hooks are in a hook case (shameless plug, I use my hook case from The Crochet Dude(r) line of products)."


9. What books/magazines do you read?
"I love House Beautiful, Martha Stewart Living, and I love the random catalogs that arrive (anything from LLBean to Skymall). I'm in a book club so I find myself reading books that I wouldn't normally choose and I like that. "


10. How would you describe your personal style?

"I hope that my style is perceived as simple and easy to wear. I don't try to try too hard, ya know? I want the crafter's experience to be fun and enjoyable from beginning to end. Let me do the hard part and figure it all out, you just relax with your project and enjoy yourself."

11. How do you determine what a design is going to be made with?

"During the swatching phase I discover very quickly if my first choice of yarn is going to work. I'm open to using anything, but as a designer I have to be careful that the yarn I choose is readily available. Yarns trend and are discontinued on a regular basis. I like to use yarns that have been around and are staples in the yarn industry."


12. Do you have a collection of anything?

"I really don't have a collection now that I think about it. Hmm, is that normal?"

13. And the all important question (from Ravelry) what is your favorite swear word?

"Oh hamburgers!"

Thanks Drew for sharing!
If you Love the "Dude" as much as me and want to make some of his fab crochet designs grab yourself a copy of his latest book with Leisure Arts:
Crochet It. Love It. Wear It! The Ultimate Collection for Every Occasion
By
Drew Emborsky

"Just for the ladies, Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude , has created 13 cutting-edge fashions in luxurious crochet. Fashion-conscious women are always searching for the perfect Little Black Dress, and Drew has one, plus an incredible selection of other must-have wardrobe pieces. Designs include a party dress, cabled and ruffled cardigans, flirty skirts, a vest, trendy tops including a baby doll style, an asymmetrical long coat, an opera jacket, and a keyhole scarf. The designs are crocheted using a variety of beautiful yarns; the majority are made with sumptuous, organic/natural yarns in worsted or sport weight and are highly textured with enticing post stitches.

For exciting new garments you'll adore, crochet these designs by Drew Emborsky - world-famous The Crochet Dude(r)! Drew created these patterns with plenty of figure-flattering shape and texture. Make a cardigan vest, party dress, or pencil skirt that will accentuate your curves. Let a chic red coat take you out for a night on the town. There's even and ultra-feminine Little Black Dress that you simply must have! And don't forget the graceful openwork skirt to wear over your best skinny pants. Sweet details and sophisticated styling are yours to enjoy with each garment as you crochet, wear, and love it! (added by author)"

All Washed Up by the Crochet Dude (Drew Emborsky) Hooked up Halloween Style

We here at the Plaidbunny Test Kitchen
took
All Washed Up
by
Drew Emborsky
B. K. A. "The Crochet Dude

for a test drive and let me say I loved making this cute dish cloth (The one on the top right side of the cover in green with white ruffles)

I whipped it up in black with orange ruffles so it would fit in with all the Halloween stuff lurking around the kitchen at the moment.

It was a great pattern that went super smoothly with the great directions Drew wrote!

There are 3 more in this series of booklets just as cute!

I give them the Scissor Seal of approval here in the land of Green Crafting.

(Designer's note bright orange on a black background does pose a photography challenge but I assure you it is very festive in person!)

More about All Washed Up from Leisure Arts:

"We're proud to present this collection of all-original dishcloths in cotton yarn, designed by Drew Emborsky, The Crochet Dude. Make them as gifts. Make them for yourself. But whatever you do, be sure to make them fun! The 9 projects in this book are Tackle It With a Twist!, Extra Elbow Grease!, Grime Buster!, Lots of Suds!, Put Your Heart Into It!, Real Men Do Dishes!, Finished With a Flourish!, Nine Rounds and You're Done!, and One Red-Hot Scrubber."